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Generate a thesis statement that summarizes the following document.

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Input: Civic education and engagement are two important practices in democracy, though their effectiveness has been disputed by some. Civic education efforts—including social studies in schools, teacher training, and civics-related youth programs and camps—aim to create a society of informed citizens who are skilled in and interested in civic engagement. But success in these efforts has been difficult to measure and there have been some critics who argue these activities have minimal impact.
Output:
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Despite some criticism of their effectiveness, civic education and engagement represent important practices for upholding democracy, as evidenced by efforts to create more informed citizens through social studies in schools, teacher training, youth programs and camps.